Paper cup holder



May 23, 1950 se N N h m Patented May 23, 1950 PAPER CUP HOLDER Herman Carew, Easton, Pa., assignor to Dixie Cup Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporaton of Delaware Application June 23, 1944, Serial No. 541,'751

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a paper cup holder, s well as to improvements in the combination of a paper cup and a holder there'for, the invention being highly desirable for use in connection with the dispensing of sodas;

soft drinks, and the like in drug, confectionery, and similar stores, although the invention may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one sklled in the art.

The instant application is a continuation-in- 'part of my copending application entitled "Paper cup and holder therefor," filed March 8, 1941, 'Serial No. 382300, 'now aba'ndoned.

`In the dispensing of sodas, malted milks, and similar soft drinks to individual customers, by

, means of a paper cup, usually a conical paper cup,

"contained within a suitable holder, it is desirable to provide some means to insure that the cup will remain in the holder during use by the customer. lh the past it has sometimes happened that when a Customer elevated such a cup and holder combination to the lips to drain the last portion of the 'contents from the cup, the cup would separate from the holder and cascade down over the wearing apparel of the customer. advantages in serving soft drinks and the like in paper containers in a suitable holder is the saving of labor, in that the holder need only be washed infrequently, and the cu is disposed of after a single usage. Another highly important advantage is the sanitary character of the service. If the saving in labor is to be maintained as well as the required sanitation in service, it is essential that the cup and holder be engaged with each other in a very quick and expeditious manner, and also essential that the hands of the operator or clerk never contact the cup itself, and especially never contact the cup in the interier of the cup or in the region to which theuser's lips are likelyto be applied. Mechanical means requiring an operation on the part of the attendant in order to secure the cup within the holder are highly objectionable, because attendants are loathe to perform such operations and the actual performance of the operation consumes an 'objectionable amount of time. Accordingly, there must be automatic engagement between the cup and holder, and yet such an engagement that is sufiiciently positive to prevent the accidental or unintentional dislodgment of the cup from the holder. One highly satisfactory solution to this problem has been presented and claimed in my One of the.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a holder for a paper cup, and particularly a conical paper cup, the holder being so constructed as to automatically and sufficiently positively engage the cup merely upon a relatively axial movement between the cup and holder, this engagement resulting regardless of the construction of the particular paper cup and with a minimum of effort on the part of the attendant. v

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a paper cup holder having a constricted formation defining an opening near the bottom of the cup receiving cavity, which formation is relatively sharp and the opening defined thereby is of slightly less area than the corresponding portion of the cup, so that the formation tends to bite into or constrict the adjacent cup Wall and positively engage the cup.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a holder for a conical paper cup, which holder embodies a tubular portion for receiving the cup apex first, and an annular knife edge portion defining an opening in the lower part of the cup receiving cavity for biting engagement with the cup wall in the apexial region of the cup.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a holder for a paper cup, and more particularly a conical paper cup, the holder having a cavity therein for receiving the cup apex first, and an annular knife edge formation defining an opening near the lower end of said cavity for engagement with the cup wall near the apexial region of the cup, the cavity in the holder being outwardly 'bulged relatively to the cup both above and below the annular knife edge formation which formation, on the contrary, is slightly less in size than the adjacent cup wall portion so that a positive indentation of the cup aforesaid copending application, and the instant l tion of the same problem. e

wall by the annular formation is effected, and the cup may retain or reassume its former size on each side of such formation. I

Still a further feature of the invention resides in. the provision of a holder for a paper cup having a cavity for receiving the cup apex first, there being an opening in the lower portion of that cavity defined by a relatively sharp edge of polygonal configuration so as not only to indent the wall of the cup, but also distort the wall of the cup in this region to establish a firm grip upon the cup. i

It is also an object of this invention to provide a .combination cup and holder wherein the 4 cup is so' made as to have an exposed edge' of [3545 ,th paper .stock on the exterior surface of the cup, and the holder is so constructed as to emmation is preferably of a, lesser size than the body means for biting into that exposed edge co sp g wall portion of the paper cupportion of the cup, regardless of the location of That is, the knife edge formation is constricted the edge ortion and regardless of the particular With reference to the normal size of the paper structure of the cup, merely upon an axial en- 5 lOW e ife edge formation, he inner gagement of the cup and the h d r Wall portion of the holder is again enlarged be- Still another object of the invention is the proyond the Size Of t e p ding portion of the vision of a combination cupand-haid herein ::cup as-diegted; at 5,:.and below the enlargement the haider-is provided with opening d fined anysuitable base formationsuch as that shown by a relatively sharp annular edge slightiy less 10 at 5, y be provded- If O desred, the holder in size than the corresponding portion of `the u::m be Equipped With a handle 7 but 'such S cup wall, and the cup is provided withadatheoth ing tab which automatically latches behind such operative p s o within t hold s shown knife edge and this, in additiorr tostheoonstricszr a .:p -:cu 8 which in the illustrated ton caused in the cup wall by the knife edgewproconvolute type- Overlappng vides a Very imple and t an extremely posi ;portionsof :thezblank going to make up this cup m hold upon the up ar ipr f er;2p1; 1y` Secured together by the use of a While some of the more salient features, charsuitable adhesive- With a Cup of such forma' As 'shown onthe drawings: `:55 tgdr i 4! -g farther fromt e bod ,ofthe cu than Inthat illustratedembodimentoflthe-instant fi r fifi m ga'ses, i lnvenon Seen'imwgmegmtofmcmsveithere Ydedvfith a definite nk such as indicated at ::s shown a cup' holder: I. whch es generally of H i figure 1 the-knife edge f ti n thus hour -glass shape, -an.d Whichma-y be made'of materaly m m the grip of thehoder metal, a sutableplastc, or any'other-feasblejgso upon 1 1 1 material. The-ho1der-s-preferably tubular in sodesired, t cupsv maybe placed in an shape to define p-r eivin uprig ht dispenser, with'theapies .of thecups "This cavityis provided with a wall portion 2 in p t f g' b w t djs ensr and t `-its upper-portion to intimately-receive-a concal f 'f IWGrmOStcUIj iri t and 'paper cup. A i}1ustrated, the Wall portion' 15 65 '.Wi -,h dspenser 501915, fi m relatvely wide n -charactergbut itmay be naroL-th e engagm nt' hetween; the cup andthe rower -'fso desred. Below the` wall portion 2 V holr causd bythe. knif t a "the inside `Wall of the holder is en-larged or It will-be appreciated---that' there -isno other =-widened-as indicated at 3 tO be--definitely in* exact neegsary on the part f' the opera-tor excess -of" the -.-size of the .correspondingmart -of: ;.70 cept a simple-movement -ofthe holder over'the the p cup in order to establish the gripping or latching `?the :wider portion 31 terminates at the lower engagementof the* holder upon-'the' cu end in: an annuiar; kmfe-edge'-formation 4 which In-Figure-5 I have. zshown a siightly difierent definesan opening near the rOWrGUdZOf -thecup -arrangement':ofthe:knifeedge formation desigrecevng'cavty. -Thissannularknifeo edgeefor--a' nated ta. In this instanceg'this holdmg:edge

formation is turned downwardly somewhat so as to more forcibly resist a movement of the cup out of the holder.

I It will further be appreciated from the show- 'ing in Figures l to 5, inclusive, that the knife edge provides something in the nature of a shoulder formation in the holder, and while this formation is referred to herein and in the appended claims as a knife edge formation, it will be appreciated that it need not be as sharp as the customary knife, but may just be relatively sharp in comparison with a shoulder formation or the equivalent lacking a denite edge.

In Figures 6 and 7 I have illustrated a holder of somewhat diiferent Construction, but one which acts in substantially the same way in connection with a cup as the-holder just above described. In this instance, a holder |2 is illustrated, substantially of hour glass shape, and which may be made of any suitable material. Inside the holder there is a generally frusto-conical portion !3 which may, if so desired, be of such shape as to intimately receive a cup substantally throughout the entire length of this portion. The portion [3 terminates at its lower end in an opening defined by a polygonal formation [4 in the tubular portion. As seen best in Figure 6, this polygonal formation is inwardly turned so that an edge portion of the material abuts the inserted cup in the manner of the knife edge formation above described. In the illustrated instance the polygonal formation is shown as hexagonal, but it will be appreciated that it may have some other polygonal configuration if so desired.

Upon joining the cup and the dispenser, the polygonal edge formation !4 also causes the above described indentation ll) in the cup wall, and also nicks the exposed edge 9 of the cup stock as indicated at H, but in addition this edge formation tends to distort the wall of the cup, i. e., cause the wall of a cup to assume a different shape in this vicinity than its normal shape. As indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 7, the cup may have a cross-sectional configuration of a circle both above and below the polygonal formation I 4, but at that formation the cup must assume a shape somewhat in keeping with the formation itself. As seen in Figure 6, the portion !3 of the holder extends openly within the holder so that the entire formation functions somewhat as a shoulder, and permits an expansion or maintenance of normal shape of the cup beneath the polygonal formation. All of the advantages discussed hereinabove in connection with the showing in Figures 1 to 5 are also present with the use of the structure seen in Figures 6 and '7.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have illustrated the operation of the structure of Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, with a paper cup having a latching tab thereon. In this instance, a cup l5 is illustrated which is also a convolutely wound conical cup but which is provided with an enlarged tab !6 in the apexial region. This tab is not cemented throughout its entire area to the body portion of the cup, but is left free to project outwardly from the body of the cup by virtue of its inherent resiliency. When the cup and holder are joined, the tab fiexes by the knife edge formation a and expands in the open area 5 beneath this formation as' shown by the dotted lines in Figure 9. This feature of Construction, in addition to the indentaton of the cup wall as indicated at lil, provides a very positive hold upon the cup.

In all embodiments of the instant invention 6 hereinabove described, it will be appreciated that when it is desired to remove'the cup from the ;holder it is a simple expedient for the attendant to grasp the upper protruding mouth portion of the cup and' pull the cup from the holder, notwith'standing the fact that the cup may be damaged in so doing, because the cup is to be disposed of immediately after a single usage.

In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a novel cup and holder arrangement wherein the cup may be positively engaged within the holder with no extra Operations required on the part of an attendant, and with no need for the attendant to touch any part of the cup with his hands. The entire construction both of the holder and of the cup are extremely cconomical, and involve no parts to get out of order. The holder has a long life, and need only be cleansed at infrequent intervals, so that fountain service is materially expedited with the use of such holders and cups, and sanitation is maintained at an extremely high degree. I

It will, of course, be understood that various details of Construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In combination, a conical paper cup having overlapping portions secured together with an edge of one of said portions on the outside wall of the cup, and a holder for said cup having a tubular portion for receiving the cup apex first, and an annular ridge extending inwardly in the lower part of said portion terminating in an annular knife edge defining an opening of slightly less size than the adjacent cup wall so as to constrict the cup wall and bite into said exposed edge of the outer overlapping portion of the cup.

2. In combination, a conical paper cup having a latching tab thereon and freely protruding tangentially from the cup body near the apex, and a holder for said cup having a tubular portion to receive the cup apex first, and an annular ridge extending inwardly from the wall of the holder and terminating in a constricted relatively sharp edge defining an opening in the lower part oi' said portion through which the apexial part of the cup extends, said tab automatically latching behind said relatively sharp edge and said edge constricting the wall of the cup in the vicinity of said tab upon relative axial movement between the cup and holder in any relative circumferential position.

3. A tubular holder for automatically gripping an expanded conical paper cup and holding the same against accidental dislodgment, said holder comprising immovable parts providing an upper cup receiving socketand a lower base, said socket including means defining a polygonal opening in a lower part of said socket, and the sides of said polygonal opening being turned inwardly and so shaped as to provide a series of sharp edges defining an imaginary ring of less diameter than the adjacent wall portion of a cup seated in said socket.

4. A holder for a paper container having tapering side walls, said holder including a tubular portion for receiving the cup bottom end first, and an annular ridge extending radially inwardly in the lower part of said portion terminating in a relatively sharp edge defined by opposite tapers on each side thereof, said edge defining an open- 2, &09.1 :33

'ing of less ,size thanthe ;adjacent wall .OI-the ,cup to const'ict the cup wall and ,hold the -cup in the holder against accidental dislodgement, the inside wall ,of said tubular portion being enlarged radiallyoutwardly above said edge to -bedefinitely larger than :the adjacent cup wall when the -cup is in `'Ishe holder.

HERMAN CAREW.

REFEBENCES CITED The following -references are of :record 'in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 166350 Dodge e-, Aug. 3, 1875 503,431 Michel Aug. 15, 1893 523,()68 Gaul July 17, 1894 985,055 Welsh Feb. 21, 1911 1,021,099 Hogan Mar. 2.6, 1912 1,021,853 Vargyas Apr. 2, 1912 1,113,618 Haldeman Oct. 13, 1914 1,114,122- Curtn Oct. 20, 1914 1,139,579 Rke May 18, 1915 ;Number Number 8 Name Date Rike et al May ,18, 1915 White June '27, 1916 Klin Sept. 4, 1917 Burgess Apr. 1, 1919 Bohlman June 14, 1921 Curtn June 14, 1921 Moore V Sept. 6, 1921 Martin July 10, 1923 Barker May 6, 1924 Carew Mar. 11, 1930 Green June 10, 1930 Barberi Aug. 9, 1932 Heller etkal Mar. 9, 1937 Thomas Dec. 21, 1937 Merta Jan. 18, 1938 Haegele Oct. 28, 1941 Rosay July `6, 1943 Clifford, Jr. Sept. 14, 1943 Carew Nov. 2, 1943 FOREIGN "PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 'May 9, 1896 

